Car destroys front of business in Heber

A car crashed into a business in downtown Heber around 2am Saturday morning

Comment

By James Jackson

The Sun-Times - Heber Springs, AR

By James Jackson

Posted Feb. 11, 2013 at 3:45 PM
Updated Feb 11, 2013 at 3:48 PM

By James Jackson

Posted Feb. 11, 2013 at 3:45 PM
Updated Feb 11, 2013 at 3:48 PM

Heber Springs

In the early hours of Saturday morning, police responded to a report of a large crash on Hwy 110, just east of Spring Park. Officers arrived to find a car had crashed into a business in a strip mall at 423 Hwy 110E. The car had been abandoned, leading police to believe that the occupant(s) of the vehicle had fled the scene. They also reported smelling a strong odor of natural gas and were able to turn the gas off to minimize any danger to the other buildings inside the strip mall.

Officers searched the area behind the strip mall and found two men standing outside the apartments located behind the building. According to the report, the men were intoxicated and led police to believe they could not speak English, thus hindering information gathering. The men were arrested for public intoxication. The two men reportedly worked at a neighboring restaurant and after questioning the owner of the restaurant, learned that the two men understood and could speak English. They were then charged with obstructing governmental operations. Further investigation revealed that the two young men were in the country illegal. They are now being held for immigration authorities.

By Monday morning, the front of the damaged business had been boarded up and gas crews were on hand to restore gas service to the neighboring businesses.

In other police news, a routine traffic stop on Sugar Loaf St ended in drug charges for two people. David Wayne Huffington, 31, of Heber Springs, was pulled over by police after they noticed his tags expired in December 2012. A check on Huffington revealed he had a valid drivers license and was issued a citation for fictitious tags and no insurance. A check on the passenger in the vehicle, Amanda West, 25, of Greenbrier, showed she had a valid state ID and was on probation. According to the report, Huffington agreed to a police search. Police reportedly found a small bag of methamphetamine and a bag containing prescription medication. Both Huffington and West have prior drug convictions and they were arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance.